Boats For Sale:
Carbs: Holley vs. Quick Fuel |
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uncle-buck 
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Joined: June-14-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 331 |
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 Topic: Carbs: Holley vs. Quick FuelPosted: August-28-2022 at 9:42pm |
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Have read several positive comments about the Quick Fuel carbs in these forums.
Am currently running a 1995 Holley 4160 marine carb in my 1990 SN with a 351W, and it runs great. Are there any good reasons to switch to the Quick Fuel carb? |
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1990 Ski Nautique (original owner)
PCM 351W with D.U.I. |
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MrMcD
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Joined: January-28-2014 Location: Folsom, CA Status: Offline Points: 3776 |
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Posted: August-28-2022 at 10:49pm |
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You say your boat runs Great. Close the hood and use it. Sorry, I am not a carb tech at all but a good running engine is a very good thing. I understand the Quick fuel does offer some improvements and if your Holley wears out it might be a good option. I see no reason to remove a perfectly good carb though.
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Jonny Quest
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Posted: August-28-2022 at 11:40pm |
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QuickFuel vs. Holley
QuickFuel got started by ex-Holley engineers / management that wanted to improve on certain Holley designed carbs...so they left Holley and started QF. Eventually, Holley realized that they were losing market-share and purchased QF. So now, QF and Holley are one big happy family...again. The QF marine carbs that would likely be applicable to CCF applications are the M-600, M-650 and M-750. The M-600 is based on the Holley 4160 and the M-650/750 are based on the Holley 4150. The SBF 351W carbureted marine engines most likely came with a Holley 600 CFM 4160 carb as OEM from the factory. These carbs have been considered by many to be the "industry standard" for many years. However, there are some quirks and idiosyncrasies with the 4160 that get "upgraded" with the QF version M-600. Upgrades on the QF M-600 that are NOT on the Holley 4160: - External float adjustment hardware on primary and secondary fuel bowls (float adjustment in Holley 4160 is to bend the float hardware) - Sight windows in primary and secondary fuel bowls for fuel level visual verification (no sight window in Holley 4160 -- fuel level is only estimated based on engine performance) - Changeable air bleeds (fixed air bleeds in Holley 4160) - Changeable jets in the secondary metering block (fixed jets in Holley 4160) For somebody that likes to tinker and tweak the carb and fuel settings, the QF M-600 is an outstanding carb. If you live at altitude and need to re-jet, the QF has changeable jets in both the primary AND secondary metering blocks for dialing in the carb. Many of the Holley parts and QF parts appear to be interchangeable. I had Holley gaskets and jets in my QF M-600 and M-650 carbs. Another question to ask yourself is whether you want a 4160 or 4150 carb design. I originally installed a QF M-600 (4160 design) but eventually replaced it with the M-650 (4150 design). I like the "double pumper" design and the mechanical secondaries of the M-650. The M-600 (4160) is a bit easier to install and set up, which may be a key reason as to why the 4160 was standard equipment on so many carb engines. If you like to tinker and have a spare $700 lying around...by all means, get a QF carby. If your 4160 Holley is working fine, you may want to run that tried-and-true Holley for a few more hours. JQ |
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2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
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MrMcD
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Posted: August-29-2022 at 3:51am |
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Thanks for the breakdown JQ.
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uncle-buck
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Posted: August-29-2022 at 6:57am |
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Thanks for the great replies, especially the detailed comparison of features, JQ. While I like to tinker and would be interested in learning more about the capabilities of the Quick Fuel carbs, I am going to stick with the Holley for now.
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1990 Ski Nautique (original owner)
PCM 351W with D.U.I. |
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KENO
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Posted: August-29-2022 at 7:16am |
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Jonny Quest
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Posted: August-29-2022 at 10:24am |
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Spot on KENO!
If one is not careful, all that tinkering, with little experience, can lead to serious frustration. Ask me how I know…
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Current
2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
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uncle-buck
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Posted: August-29-2022 at 10:33am |
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It would be nice to have a primary bowl with an externally adjustable float and sight glass.
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1990 Ski Nautique (original owner)
PCM 351W with D.U.I. |
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ScottZ
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Joined: January-20-2004 Location: Clanton, AL Status: Offline Points: 1157 |
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Posted: August-29-2022 at 3:26pm |
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Great info JQ! Get you a QF and you can fix it til it's broke! I know a few people who would do that.
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Scott Zuelzke
Lake Mitchell , AL 1984 Ski Nautique 1972 Skier |
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uncle-buck
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Posted: August-30-2022 at 10:51am |
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One more carb question. I think the Holley was originally calibrated for the 351W.
Would you assume it has the correct size jets - or would you check the condition of the spark plugs to see if the engine appears to be running too lean, too rich, or just right? Thx |
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1990 Ski Nautique (original owner)
PCM 351W with D.U.I. |
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Jonny Quest
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Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 3006 |
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Posted: August-30-2022 at 11:19am |
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OEM setup should be for sea level operation
I have a carb reference chart that shows the OEM stock configuration and settings. Look on the carb choke tower for the VIN. Typically 4 to 6 digits. Hand stamped. Usually to the right of the vent tube. Send me a PM with the carb number and I will look up the OEM settings. You can open the primary fuel bowl and remove the main jets from the metering block. The jets have a size number stamped on it. May be tough to see but the jet size should be there. That will tell you if the carb has been modified from stock. Same goes for the PV. Examining / reading the spark plugs can help. Lots of good GOOGLE info about that. A “proper” rebuild of the carb with the correct rebuild kit really should make your carby run like new again. JQ |
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Current
2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
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KENO
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Posted: August-30-2022 at 11:59am |
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Buck has a 50419-1 list number (Carnac told me that) and he could probably figure out that it came with 65 main jets from the chart in the link below from the Holley tech library
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Jonny Quest
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Posted: August-30-2022 at 12:34pm |
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The file in that link looks very familiar…
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2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
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uncle-buck
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Posted: August-30-2022 at 6:33pm |
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Thank you, gentlemen. The carb got a rebuild in 2020 and the boat runs great - especially after installing the DUI with your assistance last year, JQ.
I am the only person that has ever worked on this particular carb and I did measure manifold vacuum at approx. 14 Hg two years ago. Installed a 5.0 power valve during the rebuild (instead of a 6.5) because that's what came with the kit. Will check the existing jet sizes this weekend as well as the color of the spark plugs after a good hard run. I *think* I know what the plugs are supposed to look like if the engine is running too lean, too rich, or just right. Thanks again for the good info. and advice. |
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1990 Ski Nautique (original owner)
PCM 351W with D.U.I. |
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Riley
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Posted: September-13-2022 at 11:30am |
For someone running a stock 351 with a 4160, I think the perfect replacement is a Holley 4160 from PCM. They run good right out of the box and don't need adjusting. We've bought about 6 Holley's and 6 Quick Fuels over the past few years and the Holleys have run flawlessly right of out of the box. 4/6 Quickfuels have run great. 2 have been a PIA, both 650s.
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TRBenj
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Posted: September-13-2022 at 2:42pm |
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“Don’t need adjusting”?
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uncle-buck
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Posted: September-13-2022 at 9:29pm |
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FWIW, I inspected the primary metering block in my boat's carb today and confirmed that the primary jets are size 65 and the power valve is size 6.5. Pulled one spark plug (with 23 engine hours on it) and it looked fine. The boat is running great, so I am going to leave well enough alone and enjoy using it...
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1990 Ski Nautique (original owner)
PCM 351W with D.U.I. |
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Jonny Quest
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Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 3006 |
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Posted: September-13-2022 at 11:50pm |
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Good plan. Enjoy the newly laminated ski.
JQ
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Current
2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
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Jonny Quest wrote: